03/11/2019
Chapter 12:
Stepping Up To Lead, Not Follow
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Leadership Is Stepping Up
That is exactly what leadership is – stepping up when the opportunity presents itself.
Some people are born with a natural inclination to lead while others have to learn it as they go. However, growing up in our educational system gives those who need to learn leadership an unfortunate start.
See, the kids who are eager to lead hog all the opportunities. They raise their hands first every time. They step up to volunteer first every time. They quickly become class leaders, group captains, and student government candidates.
And that’s the problem…
Our System Doesn’t Teach Leadership
There’s no class in school that teaches leadership.
Very few of us ever even get the opportunity to lead. Think about it. There are so many students in a school, yet so few leadership opportunities. You might have 40 students in a class, but there’s usually only one class leader. A sports team may have upwards of 60 kids on the team, but there’s usually only one team captain.
The worst part of it all is that we, as a society, accept this. We allow for only a few students to experience leadership. We accept it when kids step back because they’re hesitant to lead. Rather than teach those kids how to lead, we find it easier to let the “usual” leaders step back up to the plate.
We don’t coach, guide, teach, or help them get used to stepping up. In doing this, we’re depriving ourselves of entire generations of amazing leaders.
